[ossiblue]

The last case of indigenous measles was in 2002, all cases since then have been imported by people traveling to foreign countries and returning as carriers, or foreigners arriving (either legally or illegally) as carriers. In nearly every case of an outbreak, the carriers had not been vaccinated or never had immunity through contracting the disease. A small percentage of cases were found in persons who were vaccinated as the vaccine is not 100% effective in all people. In every outbreak, the spread was epidemic among the population that was not vaccinated, for whatever reasons--religious, moral, ignorance, or lack of medical care. The largest outbreaks prior to the current one, was within domestic communities who chose not to vaccinate, not foreign immigrant communities.

In most cases, the immigrant communities (illegal or otherwise) were protected by the surrounding vaccinated populations, as long as that population maintained a low percentage of non-vaccinated individuals (~<8%.) If measles broke out in the immigrant community, it stayed within that population.

This is not a racist epidemic. The disease is imported by legals and illegals alike, and even by people who have been vaccinated, and has been since its "eradication" in 2002. The only reason it's a concern is because the domestic (legal, if you will) population has been steadily reducing the number of people getting vaccinated. The herd immunity that protects us all has been weakened.

Are illegal immigrants a source of infection? Yes. Are U.S. citizens traveling abroad a source? Yes. Are these groups responsible for introducing the disease to the U.S.? Yes. Are they responsible for the wide spread transmission of the disease? No. That is the responsibility of those who opted not to protect themselves, their children, and their neighbors by refusing to get vaccinated.